There is an endless deluge of television that comes out every year and the sheer excess of content can sometimes be overwhelming to the audience. Animated series used to fill a somewhat niche position on television schedules, but the medium of animated series have only become more prominent— whether it’s in response to children’s programming or animated series that are geared more towards adults.

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It’s not uncommon for some shows to make a huge impression upon their release, only for them to slowly fade into irrelevance or become exposed as trendy products of their time. Hindsight is a powerful thing and there is copious content that has aged poorly since its original release. Some adult animated series can induce cringes when they’re revisited, but there are still some shows that can withstand the test of time.

10 Isn't As Good: The Critic Gets Lost In The Pop Culture Of The Past

Cartoons The Critic Jay Sherman Siskel Ebert

The Simpsons remains an iconic piece of television and much of its creative team have been able to translate the series’ biting comedy into other vehicles. The Critic was launched by Simpsons writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss, and the series’ Jay Sherman even crossed over into an episode of The Simpsons.

The Critic focuses on a pompous film critic and while it’s a well-written series, so much of its humor stems from mockery over the landscape of films from the 1990s. This leaves The Critic feeling very dated and most of its big gags now come across as awkward.

9 Still Holds Up: Duckman Is Edgy, Ambitious, And Painfully Real

Duckman and his family complain in Duckman

Duckman ran for four seasons on the USA Network, but it’s unfortunately become a bit of a cult classic and it’s not nearly on enough people’s radars. The series made waves for Jason Alexander’s furious performance as the series’ main character, but there’s such endless humanity and social commentary present in the series.

Duckman skews to adult extremes and has crude impulses, but it’s also a show that does pastiches on Hamlet or the works of prolific Russian authors. It achieves the perfect balance of intelligent, emotional, and hilarious in a way that’s more natural than what’s present in modern series.

8 Isn't As Good: Clerks - The Animated Series Is Too In Love With Itself To Grow

Television Clerks The Animated Series

Kevin Smith is a vital voice that grew out of independent cinema, with Clerks being the director's debut calling card. Smith has frequently returned to the characters in his "View Askewniverse" on multiple occasions, but one effort to bring Clerks back to life was ABC's short-lived Clerks: The Animated Series.

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Despite having some of Seinfeld’s creative staff, Clerks gets a little too ambitious with its comedy and it struggles to come together. Only six episodes of Clerks: The Animated Series were produced and a mere two of them actually aired, but it's not a cultural touchstone that needs to be revisited.

7 Still Holds Up: King Of The Hill Creates Effortless Character-Driven Comedy

Cartoons King Of The Hill Bobby Comedy

There are a handful of adult animated series that have run for multiple decades and produce hundreds of episodes. It’s natural for these shows to eventually hit diminishing returns at a certain point, whether it’s The Simpsons, Family Guy, or even Bob’s Burgers. However, King of the Hill turned out over 250 episodes and the final installments are just as impressive as anything from the show’s early years.

King of the Hill works so well because it deeply understands its characters and setting. So many of the best jokes stem from knowing these individuals. It’s subtle comedy at its finest.

6 Isn't As Good: Mr. Pickles Is Too Focused On Graphic Violence To Find A Story

Television Mr Pickles Dance Party

Adult Swim has changed the landscape of adult animation in undeniable ways and there are dozens of revolutionary series that have come out of the ambitious programming block. However, there are also some Adult Swim series that become too preoccupied on the mature nature and level of freedom that they’re allowed, but just because something can be gratuitous doesn’t mean that it should be.

The majority of Mr. Pickles episodes revolve intense murder and sexuality, with the series’ titular demon-possessed dog at the core of it all. It’s a lot of style over substance here.

5 Still Holds Up: Home Movies Finds The Perfect Balance Through Its Scrappy, Overlapping Nature

Brendon with his mom and little sister in Season 1 of Home Movies.

Loren Bouchard has become an essential name in animation after the ongoing success of FOX’s animated family comedy, Bob’s Burgers, but so much of the series’ DNA is present in his and Brendon Small’s earlier work: Home Movies. Home Movies was one of Adult Swim’s original breakthrough programs and while the animation leaves a little to be desired, the show’s strength lies in its overlapping, semi-improvisational dialogue.

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Brendon Small and his friends are children, but Home Movies operates with an adult level of insight, especially when it comes to the unhealthy, enabling behavior of H. Jon Benjamin’s Coach McGuirk.

4 Isn't As Good: Legends Of Chamberlain Heights Should Have Never Left The Planning Stages

Characters meet at a diner in Legends Of Chamberlain Heights

Comedy Central has featured some important pieces of adult animated programming and series like South Park continue to lead the pack. Other animated series on the network have struggled to connect, but Legends of Chamberlain Heights acquired two seasons before quietly ending.

The animated series looks at a trio of inept high school students who are driven forward with delusions of grandeur over their basketball skills. Legends of Chamberlain Heights has an incredibly crude animation style, clearly meant to find success where South Park did, but it doesn’t work and the humor isn’t strong enough to carry it along.

3 Still Holds Up: Futurama’s Bold Ideas Remain Entertaining Regardless Of The Century

The animated cast of Futurama

There are frequent debates over which seasons of The Simpsons represent the series at its sharpest and when it exactly verges into mediocrity. Futurama initially struggled to find an audience as big as The Simpsons, but their fans are considerably dedicated.

Futurama is more consistent from start to finish and it successfully survived more than one cancellation and network change. The sci-fi series is just as satisfying when it comes to cathartic character development or unhinged science fiction storylines. The futuristic setting imbues the animated series with a certain degree of timelessness.

2 Isn't As Good: Dilbert’s Malaise Has Only Grown More Stilted Over Time

Television Dilbert Cropped

Scott Adams' Dilbert is one of many successful comic strips that were able to transform into an animated series and Dilbert lasted for two seasons on UPN during the late '90s and early 2000s. Dilbert looks at the slice of life workplace antics that follow the series' titular white-collar office worker.

The animated series seemed like it often prided itself on how dry and low-key its humor could be, which might have felt fresh at the time but hasn't held up very well. Dilbert suffers from how it just isn't interesting enough and it comes across as deeply bitter in retrospect.

1 Still Holds Up: Moral Orel Hits Raw, Emotional Heights Before BoJack Horseman

Television Moral Orel Sad Marital Bed

There’s been a real push in the animation industry for adult series that don’t shy away from the darkness of life and the depressing thoughts that can consume individuals. Programs like BoJack Horseman and Rick and Morty have reached huge audiences through this approach, but years earlier Adult Swim’s Moral Orel perfected this edgy approach.

Moral Orel is framed as a satirical take on religion and lesson-fueled programming, but it gradually unpacks an unhappy marriage and the deeply dysfunctional compulsions that consume Orel Puppington in this repressed community. It’s a lot to take in, but absolutely worth it.

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